Faculty Excellence at UMUC

Interviewer:

Please tell us about yourself—what made you decide to teach at UMUC? What kind of work do you do when you are not teaching at UMUC? Are there any life experiences that have influenced your teaching at UMUC? If so, please share one story.

Harpal Dhillon

I am a professional whose interest in higher education was sustained throughout a 25-year-long-career in the industry and a second career as a teacher and administrator in the higher education sector, which is currently in its tenth year. When I was a professional/executive in engineering services organizations, I maintained an active interface with higher education institutions through programs involving student internships and cooperative education agreements with a number of institutions in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. Later, I become a full time administrator in two universities and successfully promoted university-industry cooperation for the benefit of students. I was awarded the Oklahoma State Board of Regents Award for University-Industry Cooperation in 2006.

During my career as an executive in the industry, I had numerous opportunities to facilitate the professional advancement of adult students in colleges and universities. In this context, I first started teaching as an adjunct professor at UMUC in late seventies, but had to suspend this activity after three years because of the demands of my regular job. After we sold our company in mid 1990s, I mentored small business owners and interacted with several employees of these companies who were non-traditional university students also. In 2000, I started teaching graduate courses in the School of Business and Public Administration at George Washington University. Two years later, I got an opportunity to teach undergraduate courses at UMUC. I enjoy the experience of teaching and feel a sense of accomplishment when I am successful in playing a role in the intellectual growth and professional advancement of non-traditional students in my classes at UMUC.

Currently, I am advising three universities in the domains of on-line instruction and learning outcomes assessment. This activity involves strategic and operational planning, setting up Outcomes Assessment Programs, and implementing on-line instruction delivery systems for selected programs. I am a member of the advisory boards of two institutions.

I volunteer as an evaluator for one national institutional accreditation organization (ACICS), and two academic program accreditation  organizations: ABET for Engineering and Technology Programs, and IACBE for Business Education Programs. I devote 45 to 50 days of my time to this social service annually. Additionally, I am involved as a volunteer in a few community services organizations and participate in fund raising activities for these entities.

Being a first-generation immigrant in the U.S., I have fond memories of my experiences as a graduate student in two universities. The moral and spiritual support provided by my professors and other officials in these institutions enabled me to feel at home soon after my arrival in this country. Interaction with a number of individuals outside the classes convinced me that they were truly trying to facilitate my growth as a responsible and productive young man. When I got my Ph.D. degree about 35 years ago, I decided to do all I could to emulate the spirit of concern, commitment, and involvement in community service exemplified by my mentors. I was fortunate to have a successful career as a professional and entrepreneur in the business sector. In this career, I never lost contact with significant numbers of university students and viewed them as the foundation of our long-term future. When I got the opportunity to teach at UMUC, I started emphasizing the importance of community service among adult learners and the need for all of us to become caring citizens.

During my first year at University of Massachusetts, I was invited to a Thanksgiving get-together by Professor Lippert, who was in his sixties at that time. On the Thanksgiving Day, we had one of the heaviest November snowfalls in New England. I called Professor Lippert to inform him that my old car would not be able to carry my wife and me to this home, which was about 10 miles away in a mountainous region, and requested that he invite us next year. To our surprise, Professor Lippert came to pick us up and dropped us home late that evening. At their home, Professor and Mrs. Lippert were extremely gracious and hospitable. Before the next Thanksgiving, Professor Lippert suffered a minor stroke, but we were again invited to his home along with six other international students. We were invited by Professor Lippert for the third Thanksgiving before we moved to Virginia. My association with Professor Lippert continued for many years after I graduated. My experience with Professor and Mrs. Lippert influenced me to seek opportunities to replicate the interaction that I had with them. My relationship with many of my students at UMUC extends beyond the classroom, and I have regular communications with some former students who were in my class five years ago. These were students in online classes!

Interviewer:

How would you describe your teaching style or philosophy? What experiences or person(s) have influenced your style or philosophy?

Harpal Dhillon

     In order to make the class experience of students beneficial for them, my philosophy/strategy is to:

• Make the learning experience challenging, but relatively stress-free without lowering academic standards.
• Make my expectations as an instructor clear to all students very explicitly at the beginning of each class.
• Not lecture the students, but involve them in an interaction that facilitates learning and enhances the self-confidence of the students,
• Encourage students to undertake class projects that are related to their jobs (for employed students) and will be beneficial for their employers.
• Promote “thinking outside the box” when they look at a problem.
• Emphasize that formal education is an endeavor focused on making each student a better citizen and a successful professional.
• Stress the importance of learning to work effectively as members of a group and the need for sharing appropriate personal experiences with classmates and coworkers.
• Get students to recognize and accept diversity in the class, work place, and the global society to which we all belong.
• Devote special attention to students who are new to the subject area and/or online learning environment.
• Setup my online class Web site to be as student-friendly as possible.
• Create course assignments that are clearly related to the learning outcomes for the course and the degree program.
• Be flexible when dealing with job related situations (particularly for military personnel), and family events/emergencies that cause students to request special consideration in a class.

My doctoral advisor, Dr. Giglio, and Professor Lippert have influenced my teaching style and philosophy. Dr. Giglio is my mentor in the domain of teaching. His effectiveness as a teacher was based on the concept that students should be encouraged to relate learning to their work environment, social environment, and general personal experiences. In my classes, most of the discussions and assignments are connected to the real world, but still enable the students to advance their level of knowledge in the subject area for the course. Several students have utilized their in-class experience for the benefit of their communities and/or employers before the class is finished. 

Interviewer:

Please explain if you do something special or unique in your teaching and what made you develop this.

Harpal Dhillon

My focus in the class is on professional growth of students. In just about every class, I try to learn about the academic and professional background of each student, and I discretely try to find out what motivated each class member to pursue an undergraduate degree at UMUC. Since the oldest student in a class could be twice the age of the youngest student, it is impossible to create a menu of learning which will suit all students. Therefore, I try to create a forum for all students to share their experiences with one another in the context of the subject for the course. The projects and other assignments/activities in the class lead to situations which convince most of the students that what they are learning is not exotic, but is very relevant to what they have already experienced, or are likely to encounter in their professional lives. I spend a lot of time conceptualizing tasks and projects which can result in the accomplishment of this objective.

Interviewer:

What do you think it is about your teaching style that appeals to students?

Harpal Dhillon

I believe my effectiveness in relating learning to real world/life is what appeals to students. Since I have been fortunate enough to have gone through diverse professional experiences in my life, I can share first-hand experiences with students. This makes me credible and also convinces students that what they are learning will actually be utilized in real situations. Additionally, because of my diverse interests, I can connect with individual students through communications related to sports, arts, politics, and a vision of the future. When they realize that my non-academic interests have not been impeded by my effectiveness as a professional, they really open up to me.

Interviewer:

Do you teach face-to-face, online, or both? Do you have a preference between teaching face-to-face and online? If so, please explain.

Harpal Dhillon

I have taught face-to-face, and on-line. During the last four years, all my teaching has been on-line. Although there is a lot more work necessary for conducting an on-line class successfully, I prefer this mode. The challenge of creating a community in an on-line class motivates me to be responsive and innovative.

Interviewer:

Please tell us about your chosen discipline-i.e., what made you interested in the area initially? What do you do to stay current in your discipline? What do you like best about teaching in your discipline?

Harpal Dhillon

My doctorate is in Operations research and Systems Engineering. I have always been interested in applied engineering and this specialization is relevant to problems in several sectors of our economy. Despite having no degree in business, I have been regularly invited to teach graduate courses in School of Business.

I read a lot of material concerning the latest advancements in the development and application of Information Technology. Since I regularly teach a course in Human-Computer Interaction, I have to read about hardware, software, and cognition. In the Information Systems Management arena, most of the current action is in the domain of Human-Computer Interaction.

The discipline that I teach in at UMUC, Information Systems Management, is very dynamic and relevant the problems in business, education, the energy sector, and health care delivery that we are dealing with at his time. It is exciting to be facilitating the professional development of personnel who can address these problems.

Interviewer:

What is the most challenging to you in teaching in this area? What teaching strategy do you use when you encounter the challenge? Are there any special challenges in teaching this subject matter online?  If yes, please explain what could be done to meet the challenges.

Harpal Dhillon

The diversity and dynamics of information technology and its applications make teaching in this discipline very challenging.

I try to keep current with the trends and developments in the Information Technology arena by reading new articles and interacting with many experts in this domain.

The most significant challenge in teaching this subject matter online is the infeasibility of conducting experiments in the laboratory. Online simulations and virtual laboratories concentrated on specialized Information System Management learning areas (e.g., Information Security, Human-Computer Interaction, and Multi-media Enhancement) have started becoming available for conducting experiments in virtual laboratories.

Interviewer:

What suggestion would you give to students who are interested in majoring or working in your discipline?

Harpal Dhillon

I would advise students to look for situations in their communities and work places that are amenable to the utilization of their learning in the classroom.

Interviewer:

In your opinion, what makes UMUC the college of choice for students?

Harpal Dhillon

High quality of curriculum and instruction, backed by good counseling and logistic support, make UMUC the college of choice for students.

Interviewer:

In your opinion, what makes UMUC the employer of choice for future faculty members?

Harpal Dhillon

UMUC is the employer of choice for future faculty members because of the opportunity to interact with peers who are qualified and committed to education of non-traditional students. The existence of a superior online instructional delivery system is also an attraction.

Interviewer:

What suggestion would you give to new faculty who are interested in teaching in your discipline at UMUC?

Harpal Dhillon

Be prepared to deal with a diverse population of students who have come to UMUC to improve their employability and professional prospects.